>> if the whole world was the same, it would be very boring!<<

You are so right, Neil!

Dear Sandy, did you not like my theory then?
Regards.
Neil.

Hey, what happened to the rest of my message?? Sorry, Neil - I originally said something to the effect that as always, you are so right!

Must have been "operator error" or something!

Dear Sandy, or as we say "Devus ex machina." Sorry to get back to you about that post, I could not get the drift of it if you know what I mean!
Anyway problem solved for now. Part 3 will be out next week on Hampton Court and hopefully if I do not have a 'Photo block', well you have heard of writers block, it is the same thing, and Part 4 the week after!
Trouble is you cannot write anything down when you go these shows as there are so many people and you get knocked everywhere,. When you are carrying all your camera gear it makes matters even worse.
So everything has to be done by memory! That is not easy with over a thousand pictures alone, and still recovering from my wife not letting me in the house until she hosed all the mud off me from the show, with the ice cold garden hose. Funny to her but not in the least amusing to me.
They claim we may get some sun, that would be rare treat indeed.

Regards.
Neil.

"still recovering from my wife not letting me in the house until she hosed all the mud off me from the show, with the ice cold garden hose. Funny to her but not in the least amusing to me."

Oh dear, have to admit I am laughing along with your wife here! Hope she let you store the camera gear first though!

for once we have more than enough sun here in the north part of the States, wish I could order up some rain! (I should just be thankful that we have had no tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, mud slides, wildfires or other disasters that have been hitting our country hard this year, but still wish for rain...)

(and now I see what happened to my other message, can't apparently use the < and > to surround a phrase, I think I'm still living in the land of DOS)

Dear Sandy, the word Dos has a different meaning in our little country! It means to totally relax and just have a Dos i.e. do nothing at all! Bit like a windows computer when you tell it to shut down, it has a Dos for a couple of hours before it does anything at all. Then when you go to restart the thing it has another Dos. and does nothing until it finally gets enough stem pressure up to run and has finished it updates for the hundredth time.
Thank goodnees I do not use windows. I would have thrown the whole thing in the Trash a long time ago!
I sent Dave a Union jack badge this morning which he has put on the micorbadges, however a few of us a re a bit upset to say the least. Since when has the UK been a Region? We are a proud little Country, not a Region!
Does this mean that if someone from Russia came on this site and wants a badge that is Russian, which is a lot bigger Country than America, would it be called a Region?
I have had a gorgeous Roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding Sunday dinner (I cooked), and went over the pub, so that is my excuse for having a Dos!

Regards.
Neil.

Neil, you know Dave is pretty much all-powerful -- I believe all other countries and states have been declared "regions" of Texas !

Your description of Windows is quite perfect; every time they come out with a new operating system it gets worse!!

Dear Sandy, yes I think you are so right there! I lived in Winchester which used to be the Capital of England well over one thousands years ago, 9012 BC to be precise. We got a lot of American tourists there and they were fine and lovely to talk to and help out when they got lost, as they often did. I never ever met a bad one till this Texan and his poor suffering wife came into our local pub. Dressed with his hat on, a huge camera with a 'passed' sticker on it as you do. He started to criticize everything, little did he know that it is an Army and Rugby players pub, so there were some very hefty lads around.
He complained that the biggest steak he could get was 12 oz, as in Texas they eat 64 oz, then of course our beer, the weather, the shower in the Hotel, and the transport as he had to walk here (200 yards).
Then he did a definite no no, he started chatting up the Barmaid who was a pretty young lady, and he started making rather lewd suggestions to her. Thinking he was on to a good thing with her as she was being most polite, he sent his wife back to the Hotel! I do not think he had ever been in an English pub before, as in all pubs you can sense the Atmosphere, and it had changed for the worst! I was surprised that one of the lads had not made him exit via a window with a size 11 Army boot.
My old friend who was in the 51st Highland Division during the second world war calmly walked up to him and tapped him on his shoulder. The whole pub went deathly quiet, and my friend just asked the Texan if he could take a picture of the tree outside on the Cathedral green. The Texan just asked "what do I wanna do that for" and my friend replied "because it is 2400 years old, which in my estimation makes it a lot older than your Country."
The whole pub fell about laughing and this fat Texan went a lovely scarlet colour. As he walked to the door, the Rugby players stood up and slow hand clapped him out.
That Sandy is the only Texan I have ever met.

Regards.
Neil.

Oh dear -- Neil, I believe you encountered the fabled "Ugly American" in that pub! (I'm quite sure our Dave is nothing like that!) At least you all had a good laugh over it. Don't even get me started on this, I just wish people could be a little more gentle with each other overall! Mostly, though, talking with total strangers while traveling has been a pretty positive experience for me ... although there was that one incident when our group was close to throwing a woman off the bus we were on...

Dear Sandy, that is nothing new! I got thrown off the bus by the French as the bus driver would not accept a British Army ID card in the port! So I quietly put my two fingers as in bow fingers and reminded him of Agincourt.
That is where the British were outnumbered by 15 -1 by the French, and they stated that any English Bowman caught would have his two Bow fingers cut off. This slightly annoyed the British, to say the least and when the French charged they were slaughtered. Not for the first time by us I may add. Then I upset him by telling him we had given back his country to him in two world wars, and he did not like that!
Thrown out of Turkey after a pompous German took my seat near the pool, he went for a swim. Don't mess with a young Airborne soldier.
However I like plants and a peaceful life now!

Neil.

Goodness, Neil -- I had to Google "Agincourt" - that battle was fought in 1415 !! And I thought the southerners in our country that still seem to be reliving the civil war here are a bit ridiculous! (that was from the 1860's...).

I must say, I would find it a bit upsetting to have my two bow fingers -- or any other two fingers -- cut off, as well. Well, what can you say about the French? Eat Freedom Fries, we say here!

Uh, oh -- my MIL is of French descent...

I am glad you've become more mature and peaceful over the years.

Not always, when they move my Country!

Neil.

Another great article, and wonderful photo's.

Ah, I can smell the wonderful fragrance of lavender all the way over here

love, Love, LOVE the beautiful photos!

Thank you!

Dear Vicki, now I have put a post on part 2 and 3 for you! The lavender was divine and nearly knocked me out, as well as many other people, plus it was only cheap to buy as many as you wanted! Lavender hedge Vicki?
Just so many things to see an do that you could have spent two days there, apart from the rain and mud!

Regards.
Neil.